Leo Carlsson powers Ducks past Golden Knights as Hofer blanks Stars

The Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues both opened their seasons with decisive road wins on Friday night, powered by standout performances from emerging talents Leo Carlsson and Joel Hofer. Anaheim edged the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in Las Vegas, while St. Louis shut out the Dallas Stars 4-0 to spoil their home opener.

Carlsson drives Ducks to statement win in Vegas

Facing the team that eliminated them in last season’s second round before going on to win the Western Conference, the Ducks flipped the script at T-Mobile Arena. Anaheim stormed out to a 4-0 advantage and held off a furious late push from the Golden Knights to secure the victory.

Carlsson was central to the Ducks’ offensive surge. In the final seconds of the first period, he helped set up Beckett Sennecke’s goal with just eight seconds remaining. Early in the second, Carlsson finished off a three-goal outburst by scoring at 7:03, extending Anaheim’s lead and capping his two-point night.

Alex Killorn and Jeff Malott also scored for the Ducks, who received 27 saves from goaltender Lukas Dostal in the season-opening win. Dostal’s work became increasingly important as Vegas surged in the third period.

The Golden Knights battled back with three unanswered goals in the final frame. Shea Theodore put them on the board, Tomas Hertl added a power-play marker, and Braeden Bowman made it a one-goal game when he scored with 2:50 left in regulation. Despite the late pressure, Anaheim managed to close out the win and leave Vegas with two points.

Hofer shuts door as Blues hand Stars rare opening-night loss

In Dallas, the Blues wasted no time grabbing control. Mason McTavish scored just 94 seconds into his first game with St. Louis, providing the eventual game-winner and giving the visitors a lead they never relinquished in the season opener for both clubs.

Goaltender Joel Hofer turned aside all 25 shots he faced for his ninth career NHL shutout, building on a previous campaign in which he notched six shutouts in 43 starts. Dalibor Dvorsky extended the lead in the second period, capitalizing on an open net after Stars goalie Jake Oettinger fell when he was clipped by teammate Roope Hintz.

St. Louis put the game out of reach late, adding empty-net goals from Jimmy Snuggerud and Pius Suter in the final two and a half minutes. Oettinger finished with 20 saves for Dallas in the losing effort.

The result snapped the Stars’ six-game winning streak in season openers, which had been the NHL’s longest active run. It also marked the first time Dallas has been shut out in a home opener since the franchise relocated before the 1993-94 season, underscoring the statement performance by Hofer and the Blues to kick off their year.